a compassionate lifestyle which eliminates, as much as possible, the exploitation and suffering of our fellow animals, and helps our planet recover from the damage we have caused so far

or

a lifestyle which willingly contributes to the systematic murder of billions of animals every year, approximately 80% of world hunger, and the most climate-damaging emissions.

Which is the easier decision to respect?

What meat-eaters always seem to forget is that vegans are trying to make the world a better place for EVERYBODY, including other humans, and assume that we’re just being difficult. Vegans don’t have any selfish ulterior motive, whereas the government has billions riding on animal product industries (which is why we are CONSTANTLY bombarded with adverts etc. about meat, dairy and eggs!). Maybe meat-eaters (and even vegetarians) should remember that whenever they accuse vegans of shoving our “beliefs” down their throats…

Vegans only care about animals. What about humans?! Actually, vegans DO care about our fellow humans, as well as other animals. We are trying to save the environment, which is vital for every living thing on this planet! Also, veganism reduces the risk for a lot of serious diseases, because we are natural plant-eaters (see below). I addition to these factors, 82% of starving children live in countries where the grain is exported to feed livestock in the West; veganism would literally end world hunger, because it would cut out the “middle animal”, and the grain would feed humans directly.

But agriculture kills animals too! Okay. If you promise to watch a video of a slaughterhouse, I promise to watch a video of a strawberry harvest…

But seriously, if vegan farming is ever responsible for the death of an animal, you can be sure it was an unavoidable accident. The meat industry DELIBERATELY murders around 56 billion animals every year. No comparison.

Why do vegans have foods that look like meat? Why do meat-eaters change their food so it doesn’t look like an animal?

But it is natural to eat meat! Yes, it is completely natural to use artificial selection to breed animals on feedlots, pump them with antibiotics and growth hormones, slaughter them with machinery long before their life-expectancy, send them to processing factories, package them in plastic, ship them all across the country, and then buy them…

Before you start talking about nature, let me plonk you in the wilds and get you to survive by killing an animal with your bare hands (and those MASSIVE canine teeth you’re so proud of), and eating its raw flesh. In order to consume any type of meat or dairy, we have to cook or pasteurise it to avoid the risk of getting seriously ill; we are not natural meat-eaters!

Quote from ‘Vegan Life’ magazine about eggs: We shouldn’t underestimate our power as consumers. If we continue to buy products of cruelty, that is what we’ll get. It’s so easy these days to choose kindness. With the vast array of egg-free products on the market, the question is no longer how big the cage should be, but why have any cages at all?

Quote from Facebook: Veganism is like being the only sober one in a car full of drunks, and they won’t let you drive. 😀

Never before has your protein intake or your iron levels been so fascinating to other people! I once had a cold sore, and the first thing an omni friend asked me was “You’re not getting anaemic, are you? Cold sores are a sign of anaemia!” She herself also had a cold sore at the time, but nobody asked HER if she was getting enough iron!

Do you take supplements? (Usually asked with an accusatory air, as if a vegan diet alone cannot possibly provide all our essential vitamins.) As it happens, I do occasionally take a vegan multi-vitamin tablet, but ONLY if I feel I need an extra boost (as most omnivores also do!). For example, nutritional yeast is packed full of B12, but I do not eat nutritional yeast all the time. Similarly, I am prone to getting leg cramps, and so if I am not currently eating leafy greens, I might take a magnesium supplement to help me along.

Where do you get your calcium? Don’t you find it odd that humans are the only animals that nurse from another animal well into adulthood? Milk is breast milk from a cow; it is for calves, not humans, and that is why so many of us have trouble digesting it, and all of the products made with it. In fact, the countries with the highest rates of dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis (weak bones). This is because animal products are acidic, and it is also vital to balance your calcium intake with magnesium. Leafy greens, nuts, beans, seeds, whole grains, plant milks, and lots of other plant-based foods are rich in calcium AND magnesium, so you can leave the cows’ milk for the baby cows! What’s even more ironic is that, whenever anybody ever suggests consuming something made with human breast milk (our own species, taken with consent from a human woman), it is met with disgust by the majority of dairy consumers!

But humans cannot survive without eating meat!

Not so long ago, vegetarians and environmentalists were considered weird. And now they’re generally accepted (and agreed with) by society. I’m hopeful that vegans will be as widely accepted in the near future. There is rapidly growing focus on veganism, more vegan-friendly eateries etc. As more people choose a vegan lifestyle, hopefully this will mean a declining demand for animal products.

Where do you get your protein? The same place elephants, rhinoceroses, cows, and all other strong herbivores get theirs: from plants! I never hear this question being asked of omnivores (even when they live off junk food and sweets!), and yet as soon as I make the decision to have a plant-based diet, all of the sudden the whole world is freaking out about my protein intake! In actual fact, it is far more common for people to eat TOO MUCH protein (causing liver and kidney damage, and calcium deficiency). Only around 3 – 6% of your calories should come from protein and, when you consider that beans, legumes, oats, plant milks, nuts, seeds, green veg, and grains are all packed with it, you realise that it is easy to get ample amounts of protein from vegan foods!